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As with most things involving Zach Galifianakis, it started out as a joke.

An offhanded quip during an interview with the Toronto Star a year ago started a Hangover man-purse chain of events that led to help for kids in Africa.

“I was (mock) complaining about Roots and you put it in your article and because of that, they sent me 50 bags the next day,” says Galifianakis as soon as we shake hands in a Yorkville hotel room Friday morning. He's in Toronto for the premiere of his new comedy/drama, It's Kind of a Funny Story.

As Alan, the odd-man-out on a bachelor party weekend in Vegas in Todd Phillips' hilarious The Hangover, Galifianakis has to constantly defend his man-purse, which he indignantly insists is a satchel. Not long after the movie came out, Galifianakis saw an ad with his photo marketing the satchels as Hangover bags in a Vancouver Roots store. The actor demanded his due and Roots delivered.

Within days of the bags' arrival, they were on their way to a village in Malawi, thanks to a non-profit organization run by Galifianakis's girlfriend.

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“There are 50 village kids in Africa with these Hangover bags,” he says with a laugh. “It's really cool how that worked out.”

It's also cool the way things are working out for Galifianakis. At age 40, after 10 years working stand-up, building on his droll delivery and observational bent, his career took off last year thanks to playing a lovable loser with a burning need to be liked in The Hangover.

Now he steps into a leading role with It'sKind of a Funny Story, based on Ned Vizzini's 2006 novel about his own time in a psychiatric hospital as a teen. The movie, which premiered at TIFF Saturday and screens again Friday, is in theatres Oct. 8.

The bearded, rumpled Galifianakis plays Bobby, the inmate who's running the asylum — or thinking he is — on a Brooklyn hospital psychiatric ward. He acts as guide and adviser to 16-year-old Craig (Toronto's Keir Gilchrist of TV's The United States of Tara), a depressed teen threatening suicide who checks himself in. Cutbacks mean the teen ends up on the adult ward, a world Bobby knows well. He shows the new kid the ropes, while Emma Roberts co-stars as another teen on the ward who helps Craig deal with his depression in unique ways and Viola Davis plays the endlessly patient unit psychiatrist.

“Bobby is the kind of guy everybody likes and pulls for, and he seems like he's in and out of the facility,” Galifianakis says of his character. “He's known there. People like him.”

In some ways, Bobby is reminiscent of McMurphy, Jack Nicholson's role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , but Bobby believes he's there to make things run smoothly, not disrupt the flow. To prepare, Galifianakis visited a psychiatric facility in New Mexico before shooting began.

“It's a lot quieter in there than you'd think,” Galifianakis says with a wry smile, pointing to the fact most of the patients are sedated. “I always saw frustration and anger inside of them and I wanted to hint at that with Bobby. A lot of it for Bobby is frustration and when you can't figure things out, that just causes anger.

“I saw these people and thought they seem like they can function in society, but you could see they had the capacity to lose it. I feel all of us, even myself, I think we have the capacity to snap: not go berserk, but get very upset, and you see that with this character.”

Bobby is also suicidal and has that in common with Craig. “Not to laugh,” Galifianakis says, doing just that, “but there's something comic about a guy who can't even pull off a suicide and gets even more suicidal that he can't do it.”

There are some very funny moments in the movie and Galifianakis confesses he didn't always stick to the script — or the rules.

“A selfish thing — it's so unprofessional — but when the camera isn't on me, I like to watch the actors and try to crack them up and say inappropriate things. It keeps it fresh and fun. Some people may get frustrated with it, but what do you want from me?” Galifianakis concludes with a chuckle.

He especially enjoyed shooting an '80s music video-inspired fantasy sequence where the patients dress up in glitter garb and belt out “Under Pressure.” And he can't say enough about working with Oscar nominee (for Doubt) Davis, who he describes as “so focused . . . what she did in Doubt, man oh man, she out-Meryl Streeps Meryl Streep.”

Does Galifianakis get a chance to work his goofball side? Not as much since he switched to acting, he says. He doesn't tour anymore but guests at comedy clubs when he has a chance. He was thinking of dropping into Toronto's Comedy Bar when he's here and might do a set if it feels right.

“The problem is some of my jokes are so lame,” Galifianakis says, running his hands through his hairand tilting his chair back against the wall. “I still write stuff down on napkins, but . . . ”

Does he miss doing stand-up?

“I love it. It's the freest you can be.”

But movies want Galifianakis more these days. The highly anticipated The Hangover 2 with original cast Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Galifianakis starts shooting in three weeks, and Galifianakis laughs and shakes his head when asked to hint at what the guys are up to next. “I can't really tell you anything because I've been yelled at when I talk about it. I am keeping my mouth shut so Todd Phillips doesn't call me up with his Darth Vader voice.”

But maybe Roots can help Galifianakis out with a new prop?

“There's no satchel. We have already fixed that problem, but there is something that is amazing and I just love it and if they have gotten permission for me to have this, I will be surprised,” Galifianakis says, looking completely delighted at the mystery accoutrement.

“But if Roots wanted to send me anymore, some of those kids could sure use some Roots shoes, that's for sure.”

He pauses and looks down at his scuffed brown shoes.

“And some men's 10s.”

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